Liquid US infrastructure investing, which began its resurgence long before Donald Trump became President, is now being upgraded in proposed asset allocations for ‘foreign’, such as Australian, institutional investors. This is the latest research Eaton Vance Investment Managers has produced specifically for Australian investors which shows where US municipal bonds (muni bonds) can fit into a…
“If it ain’t broke, then break it” is not a bad way of thinking for active fund managers – not just contrarians and value managers; all active managers. And, it seems, journalists can help with that thought process. According to Matthew Benkendorf, the CIO and managing director of global manager Vontobel Asset Management, his portfolio…
Here’s a party trick: how many factors are there? Most investment professionals can name a dozen or so. Chris Briant, the managing director of Parametric Portfolio Associates in Australia, believes there are at least “several hundred” but only a handful that really matter. Parametric, the global specialist implementation manager, has recently started to push its…
BNP Paribas Investment Partners believes that European assets may be at a turning point compared with US assets. But the global manager thought the same thing about this early last year too. So its optimism is cautious. Visiting Australia and New Zealand last week, Daniel Morris, the firm’s London-based investment strategist, said that the earnings…
Passive investing could pose a threat to global financial stability if the sector’s growth continues unabated, according to a new International Monetary Fund (IMF) study, published last week. In an updated chapter to its ‘Global Financial Stability’ report, the IMF says the prolonged low-rates, low-return period has given a tailwind to the “already remarkable growth”…
By Greg Bright Pat Farrell, the newish CIO of Suncorp, has delivered on the well-telegraphed change of outsource arrangements for its $15.5 billion of discretionary funds under management. The bank will this week transition most of its $9 billion managed by Nikko Asset Management in Australia to several other managers. The $7.7 billion on the…
Sam Mann, the hedge fund manager who set up the former K2 Advisors in Australia, has now established his own business in partnership with Ironbark Asset Management. Mann, the chief executive, and Andrew Flitcroft, the chief operating officer, have established Longreach Alternatives, which is providing a range of bespoke alternatives strategies for the retail, family…
Willis Towers Watson has embarked on an ambitious program, which it is calling the ‘Asset Management Exchange’ (AMX), to take out a layer of costs by reducing duplication of non-value-add services provided by fund managers and other service providers. The exchange was discussed at an event organized by the Thinking Ahead Institute, which is a…
Peter Ryan-Kane, the high-profile Australian head of ‘portfolio advisory’ for Willis Towers Watson, based in Hong Kong, has left the firm and is considering either setting up his own shop or joining another asset consultancy. Ryan-Kane said he wanted to remain in Hong Kong, where he has been for about 15 years, including since 2009…
Peter Lambert, the chief executive of NSW’s Local Government Super (LGSS Pty Ltd), has left the fund after a period of extended leave. A search is on for a replacement. Lambert joined the fund in 2007 and led it through a topsy-turvy time, which included amalgamating Local Government Super with Energy Industries Super, and also…
